Choose A Family : Parent Profile

Erica & David

Our names are David and Erica and we are so excited to be writing this letter to you. It seems so surreal to be writing such an important letter like this without having met you yet. It must seem equally as strange for you to be reading through these letters….trying to catch a glimpse of what we are really like through pictures and words. We do know that if you are reading this, you are a strong, brave, and loving parent who wants only the best for your child. We want the same thing, and hopefully, this desire will bring us together. We hope that you are able to get some insight into our lives and the life that we want to create for your child. We are so humbled and thankful to you for considering us as prospective parents for your child.

We know that you have had a long and trying road up to this point and that the journey is not over, by far. We can’t begin to imagine the feelings that you are having or the struggles that you have to overcome every day as you try to make the best decisions for your child. We know there are no words that can make this decision easier. We promise you that if you choose us to raise your child, you can take comfort in knowing he or she is always loved, cherished, and taken care of. To all expectant parents, we pray for strength and peace for you as you tackle this mountain before you. And we hope, that after reading about us, you will ask us to join you on this amazing journey.

Starting at the Beginning…
Our story began eleven years ago. We met in college, never anticipating that this relationship would be “the one.” Before we knew it, though, we were madly in love and it was obvious to everyone that we were a perfect match. Four years later, we exchanged wedding vows in front of all our family and friends. Now, seven years later, we are still very much in love and very much enjoying life with each other. Life has been so good to us and we have so many blessings. The one thing that we still don’t have is a wonderful child to share our lives with. We had often talked of our plans for our future and children, like all couples do. We have always envisioned children in our future. And from the beginning, adoption was part of our plan for family-building. We are so excited to finally be on the road to parenthood to adopt our first child! We can’t wait to have a little one to share our lives with!

Erica: From Everywhere….
My dad was in the Army, so I got to spend my childhood traveling. My family is very close-knit (my mom is my best friend and was my matron of honor in my wedding) and some of my fondest memories are the road tips between one house to the next. We loved getting to see new places and meet new people. Traveling at such a young age taught me a lot about people and respecting differences. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

My family has always been really close and family has always been very important to me. Sunday’s were family day at our house and most weekends we spent off on some adventure, whether it was some BBQ festival, a yard sale marathon, or just a lazy day of fishing. Weekends were family time. My friends loved to come and hang out at my house and spend time with my family because my parents were so open and loving. But they were firm, and there were boundaries. My parents raised me to be respectful, independent, and to think for myself. I was always allowed (and encouraged) to ask questions.

My interests are just about as different as the places I’ve lived. I enjoy crafts, although I’m usually not very good at them. They are usually fun, though, and that’s what matters. I just got a sewing machine and am learning to embroider and sew and plan to learn to quilt. I also enjoy reading and gardening and am in a Master Gardener. My tulips just came up for the first time this year and I am so pleased with them! They are gorgeous and it feels awfully good to grow something so beautiful. I can’t wait to see how the vegetables turn out. I am so looking forward to teaching our child how to garden! I also love the outdoors and am happiest when we’re hiking and enjoying a quiet moment in the woods. And sports…I’m a huge baseball and football fan. David and I love history. We watch history shows on TV, read books on history, and visit historical sites. We also love to just do things together, whether it’s continue the tradition of yard sale marathons where he hunts for baseball cards and I search for anything I can’t live without or it’s attend the local jazz festival, or maybe drive up to visit friends for the weekend and just lounge by the pool, or best of all just swing in our hammock in the back yard. Having fun together is what it’s all about.

David: The Southern Gentleman
I love living in the south. The people are nice, the food is good, and the weather is the best. My parents lived in “the city,” but my grandparents lived on farms so I got to have the best of both worlds when I was growing up. I would wait all school year for the summer to finally roll around and then I would head off to the farm. As much as I loved it then, I didn’t fully appreciate what gift those summers were until I was an adult. I learned so much about patience, hard work, the value of a dollar, earning your livelihood…so many things that you could only learn from farmers; from “ol’ timers.” I got my education from a school, but I learned how to live in the cotton and tobacco fields.

Family has always been the most important thing in my life. We always had dinner at the table together, my mom made breakfast for us every morning and saw us off to school, and we were in church every Sunday. We were an old-fashioned family, I guess, but we loved it. My friends loved it, too; they were always at my house. Mom would whip up some snacks to feed all us starving boys, who could never get enough. And she was always happy to make more. They were not too strict, but there were rules. We always knew to respect our parents and the rules of the house.

When I’m not working, I like to relax around the house. If it’s nice weather, I might go play golf with the guys. I’m not as good as I used to be, but it’s still fun. Some nights, I pull out one of my guitars and play for us while we enjoy an evening on the back porch. We love the outdoors, so we try to take advantage of nice weather when it comes around by hiking or camping. I like to read (history) and do little projects around the house. I really enjoy getting to go to festivals and things like that; just getting to walk around outside. There are a lot of festivals in our area so we get a lot of chances to wander around. The town nearest us has a Mile Long Yard Sale in the spring and fall and we really enjoy getting to walk it (although now it’s like ten miles long). We take the dogs and have a good time. I also really enjoy cooking. Erica thinks I’m pretty good, but she’s biased. I do have a “famous” spaghetti recipe (in our circle of friends) that I can’t wait to teach our child. We also enjoy traveling and visiting historical sites. That’s our two biggest passions. Seeing new places, meeting new people, and trying new things is right up our alley. Throw in some history and it’s perfect.

Family Circles and Family Trees
Both of us are very close to our families. With a combined family of two grandparents, four parents, two siblings, and one nephew, we are always coming together to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and other special events (like tee-ball games) or just a mid-week meal. David’s parents live about forty-five minutes away and Erica’s live about an hour and a half away. We each have dinner with our parents at least once a week and talk almost daily. They have both been wonderful examples of supportive and loving parents, as well as still modeling what a loving marriage is after all these years. To say that they are excited about the adoption would be an understatement.

We have made it a priority to be very involved in the life of our only nephew, Gregory, who is seven. He lives about an hour and half from us. He spends the night with us at least once a month and we have dinner with him almost every other week. We attend school activities, tee-ball games, and church events. He’s a great little boy; very tender and caring and loving. He’s the kind of little boy that saves half his dessert to take home to his mom. There are not many other first graders that would do that. He is going to be an awesome cousin for the child that we adopt. He is very excited about having someone to play with when he comes to our house.

We also have a large circle of friends that we see just as frequently. Many of our friends are childhood friends of David’s. At this point, they are “family we got to choose.” There is a total of six couples in our core group. We have a “supper club” that meets about once a month, as well as get-togethers for sporting events, play dates for kids, “adult nights,” girl’s and boy’s weekend, family vacations, family camping trips, and things like that. We are very tight-knit. There are many children in our circle of friends ranging from newborns to five year olds. We get lots of practice baby-sitting, attending birthday parties, dance recitals, princess parties, soccer games, and all the other exciting events that come up.

We are blessed with a wonderful and large support system, between all our family and friends, which are almost as excited about the adoption as we are! We have our own “village” waiting to help us raise and celebrate the child we adopt.

Home Sweet Home
We live in a growing area just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. It is a big town that still remembers it was a small town. It has a town square with cute little shops. People actually know each other and you will probably run into your neighbor at dinner tonight at the local pizza shop. It’s a great place to raise a family. We have lived here for a little over five years and we love it. It has great schools (second best in the state), close access to a lake and state parks (with plenty of hiking trails), as well as a local playground and park right down the street from our house. And in less than twenty minutes, we can be in Nashville enjoying all that the big city has to offer: theaters, plays, museums, live music venues, a zoo, the science center, the botanical gardens, a large farmer’s market, and the symphony hall….all just a little car ride away.

Our neighborhood is older with huge, beautiful cedar trees. The houses are all different and all have at least an acre; no cookie-cutter houses here. Our neighborhood is one of those neighborhoods where the neighbors all know each other and chat; kids ride their bikes in the streets in the evening and we take our dogs on walks. Our home is a traditional brick ranch-style on a little over an acre. We have three bedrooms and two baths. One of our favorite things in the house is the big fire place in the living room, which we (including the animals) love to curl up around in the winter. We also have a large, fenced-in backyard with a large wooden play set and playhouse. The backyard is also where our garden is. We have started the nursery, but will leave the final details to when we bring the child we adopt home.

We are lucky enough to have two wonderful dogs: Higgins (Boston Terrier) and Buttercup (Doberman) and two cats: Holiday and Coltrane. They all live in peace and harmony together. All the animals love kids, especially the dogs. Higgins loves visiting with the neighborhood kids and spending time with our nephew, Gregory. Buttercup follows Higgins around like his shadow. At the end of the day, you’ll find Higgins and Buttercup curled up on the couch with Holiday watching over them. They will be wonderful pets for a child.

How We Will Parent
There are many wonderful, deserving couples waiting to adopt. And honestly, we are a lot like them: we are financially stable, have a secure and stable home-life, great schools near us, and lots of love just waiting to be given to a child.

So, what about us should you know? What makes us different?

Family is the center of our happiness
Family is the most important thing in our lives. Family is the foundation from which our lives are made. It’s so important that the foundation be solid in order to weather the storms ahead and so all the joys of life can be fully accepted and delighted in. We will do everything we can, from the very beginning, to help the child we adopt to grow up secure, confident, and independent. Our goal is to raise a child that is self-aware, confident, and excited to learn about the world and all the possibilities that it has to offer. The child we adopt will always know that we are behind them 100% and we will do whatever we can to support his/her dreams and aspirations. Life is such an exciting adventure, and it’s even more so when you have people you love to share it with.

Once we bring a child home, our plan is for Erica to stay at home full time. We realize the importance of those first few years and the guidance and attention needed during that time. She is really looking forward to the challenge and wonderment of that time.

The truth is always the right way
The adoption will not be a secret from the child we adopt. From the beginning, we will tell them the story of how our family was made through adoption. We have already started putting together a “Life Book” to use, kind of like a bed-time story, to show them how our family came together. We believe that by sharing this information with the child openly and sincerely, we will enable him/her to develop self-confidence and comfort in their place in the family and in the world, as a whole. We will always let them know that the decisions regarding their adoption were made in love.

We are firm believers that the truth is always the best answer. We want to teach him/her to strive to be the kind of person that can be counted on in good times, as well as hard times. We will encourage him/her to make decisions, knowing it won’t always be right and that is ok; to just learn from the mistakes. We will show our children, through our own example, that when tough decisions come about (and they will), that by striving to be truthful and uphold one’s personal principals, the right decision will be made.

The world is for exploring
We love to travel; to see new places and meet new people. There are so many wonderful and exciting places to see! We can’t wait to travel and see it all with a child; to share the excitement and joy of learning about a new place, making new friends, and learning to respect and appreciate other cultures.

We believe that playing outside, reading, and exploring are vital to growing up. You can’t learn these things through TV or video games and we will encourage our child to go outside and see the world. We plan to take trips to historical sites to let them walk the ground where the famous events took place, spend time in the woods to learn about nature and our place in the world, and to encourage their creative energy. Children are sponges, so we will make sure that what they learn from their world is positive, uplifting, honest, and true.

Faith is vital to a strong foundation
We both have very strong faith. We plan to help the child we adopt develop his/her own relationship with God. This spiritual foundation will enable him/her to be strong when the hard times come and to appreciate the blessings, as well. While we don’t always agree with the rules of organized religion, we do firmly believe in the importance of a personal relationship with God.

Our personal faith has helped us build the core for our marriage and for all the relationships we have in our life. This strong faith is what has lessened the load and provided security and comfort during trials. It is also this faith that has allowed us to be closer to each other; to have honest, truthful relationships in our lives. We know what a blessing this has been for us and we want to give this same gift to a child.

Work hard, play harder
We both believe in hard work. We have strong work ethics. But work is not life. Work is what you do to earn the money it takes to pursue your hobbies and passions, while providing a supportive and nurturing environment for your family. We will emphasize to the child we adopt through our examples the importance of balancing life and work and the importance of enjoying life while you can.

It’s all fun and games until someone takes things seriously
This is our credo; our motto for our lives. We try to always remember not to take things too seriously. Life is full of stress-there are going to be highs and lows. What you do in those periods is what makes a difference. Even in the valleys, we take time to look around and find something to celebrate or laugh about. The hard times are what help us appreciate the good times; they are gifts in themselves. We always remind ourselves that “This, too, shall pass….” Being able to laugh at ourselves and find humor in our situation has made the stress easier to bear and the valleys seem like hills.

Our Dream
Our biggest desire is to be matched with someone who will find comfort and security in our plans for the future and our hopes for a child. We will love the child that is brought into our lives with all our hearts. Our family and friends are waiting with open arms to receive, support, and love the child we get the honor of adopting. What we hope for with our child are probably a lot of the same things you hope for with yours. We want to have a child that we can love, raise to be strong, teach about the world, share our loves and passions with; a child we can hug on, that we can share the wonder of the mountains with, read to at night, share our love of history with, share David’s “famous” spaghetti recipe with…….a child we can share our lives with. We just want to give a child the best of what we have, just like you.

Will we join you on the journey?
Thank you again, so much, for taking the time to read about us. We are both so excited at the prospect of being parents! We hope that we have answered some of your questions and that you will want to know more about us.

You bear the greatest burden any parent can carry: to make the best decision to ensure a good future for your child. It would be dishonest to say we understand the emotional roller coaster that you are on. We can’t begin to imagine. We do know that you are making this decision out of the greatest love possible with the greatest care.

For some of you, this may be the end. But for one of you, this may very well be the beginning of our adoption journey together. We would love a chance to get to speak with you about your own desires and plans and how we might be a part of those. No matter where things go from here, we wish you and your child the absolute best.

If you feel like we might be a good match for you and your child after reading about us, our lives, and hopes for the future, please feel free to contact one of our adoption advisors at AdoptHelp at 1-800-637-7999

Warmly,
David and Erica

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